Talking device for dolls, etc.



SePt- 10, 1929 w. T. HooFNAGLE 1,727,645

TALKING DEVICE Fon DQLLs, ETC

Filed nec. 22. i924 25 v ,2g 4- I gx /D I Patented Soph 10, 1929.

PATENT .OFFICE T. HOOFNAGLE, F GLEN RIDGE, NEW JERSEY.

TALKING DEVICE ron'noLLs, nrc.

.Application led December 22, 1924. Serial No. 751,564.

This invention relates to toy talking devices adapted for use as voices in dolls, ete.l

In carrying outtheinvention, I provide a pair of record disks secured to a common shaft, each disk having a spiral magnetic record thereon, a magnetizable diaphragm, magnetizable members extending from the records to the-diaphragm, means for. rotating the disks alternately in opposite directions, and lo means for shifting the magnetizable members from the record on on disk lto the record on the other disk, when the direction of rotation of the disks is reversed. By .these means, the Words represented by the record on one disk l5 will be reproduced by the diaphragm when the disks are rotating in one direction, arid the words represented by the record on the other disk will be reproduced by the diaphragmvvfheny the disks are rotated in the reverse direction.

In the accompanying drawing, Fig. 1 is a central section through the casing enclosing the working 'mechanism, the latter being shown in side elevation, looking from right to left in Fig. 3, and partly broken away;

Fig.,2 is a section through the casing on the vline 2--2 of Fig. 1, the working mechanism being shown in elevation;

Fig. 3 is an end view, partly broken away, wiih the diaphragm and cap piece removed; an

Fig. 4 is a detail view showing part of one of the record disks.

Referring to the drawing, a indicates a .suitable housing, shown in cylindrical form,`

closed at one end and having at its upper end an inwardly proj eeting flange or ring 1, which serves as a support for a U-shaped frame 2, 40 having flanges 2* which are secnredto the underside of the ring 1.- A cap piece 3 is threaded onto the ring 1 and serves to re tain a diaphragm 4, of steel, between the cap piece and the ring, a resilient tube 5 being arranged between the diaphragm and the ring, at the periphery of the diaphragm. The cap pieceis provided with an opening 3*, through Awhich the sound produced by the maybeheard.

s was ala-ugh am .aan of :he 7, ma

frame 2, near its central portion, and on this shaft are secured two record disks 7 andr 8. The shaft is rotatable by means of a rack rod 9, extending through the side wall of the casing a and engaging a relatively small gear 10, which is secured to a larger gear 11, journaled on 'the frame 2, this larger gear meshing with a pinion 12 on the shaft 6. The rack rod 9 is provided with knobs 9 at its en s, rection, the disks will be rotated a number of times, and when the rod is moved in the opposite direction,.the disks will be rotated a number of times in the reverse direction. The disks are made of steel and each has on one of its faces a spiral ridge magnetized by the well known Poulsen method, as described in the U. S. Patent No. 7 88,728, May 2, 1905, to produce a talking record thereon. These spiral ridges are indicated at a and 8 on theY 70 disks 7 and 8, respectively. The gearing 1s arranged so that with a full .movement of the rod 9 from one side to the other, the disks will rotate as many times as there are turns in the spirals on a disk.

A shaft 13 is slidably mounted in bearings 14 and 15 on the upper end of the frame 2. A spring 16, interposed between the bearing 14 and a head 13l on the' shaft, normally presses the latter to the left, in Fig. 2, and a so cam 17, on a pivoted lever 18, hereinafter deseribed, is adapted to engage the head 19 on the shaft 13 and move the shaft in opposition to said spring. A permanent magnet 20, of U-form, has suitable openings through its pole pieces and the shaft extends through these openings. Magnetxzable arms or members 21 and 22, composed of soft lron, are Yarranged between the pole pleces of the magnet, and a washer v23, of non-magnetizable metal, is -arranged between said magnetizable arms. The several arms and the magnet pole pieces are clamped together and secured to the shaft 13 by suitable collars 24.

The poles of the permanent magnet and the adjacent parts of the magnetizable arms or members 21 and 22 extend close to the dla- 4. The arm 21 hasa lar projectionw P 21, extending toward the spiral on the disk and when the rod is moved in one di- 6o it also has a polar projection 21* exp'. 100

to engage on opposite sides of the spiral ridge on the disk 8.

The arm 22 has a boss 22 in which is mounted a sliding brass pin 25, which extends into the ooves formed by corresponding turns on t e spirals of both disks. The pin 25 serves as a guide for holding the polar projec- 'tions ofthe magnetizable members in contact with the s irals on the disks. The magnet is inclined) oppositely from the arms 21 and 20 22, and serves to counterhalance said arms.

The spring 16 normally holds the polar projections 21l and 22n of the members 21 and 22 against the spiral on the disk 7. These members are automatically shifted from engage- 25 ment with the record on one disk into engagement with the record on the opposing disk by the lever 18, which is rocked when the disks are turned in the counterclockwise direction, to force thejcam 17 under the head 19, and which is rocked in theY opposite direction, to remove the cam from under 'the head when the disks are rotated in the clockwise direction. A pin -26 carried by a disk 27 on the shaft 6 causes the shifting of the lever. The lever 18 has three arms, as shown, and is pivoted centrall to the frame 2 by a screw 29. One arm o the lever carries a centrally pivoted dog 28, whiclri'inay berpassed'by the pin 26 when the latter is rotating in the clock- 40 wise direction, but which will lock against a projection 28s on the lever when engaged by the pin 26, as the latter rotates in counterclockwise direction. When. the dog locks lagainst the'projection, the lever will be shifted to throw the cam under the head 19, and

this will cause the shaft 13 to slide in its bearings and carry the magnetizable members 21 and 22 out of .engagement with the spiral on the disk y7 and into engagement with the spiral on the disk 8. Another arm 18* of the lever, oifset from the bod of the lever, carries a centrally pivoted og 30, which will lock against a projection 30* when engaged by the pin 26, moving in clockwise direction,

.55 and this will cause the lever to rock in the direction to carry the cam 17 from under the` head 19 and permit the shaft 13 to be returned to its normal position by the spring 16. This will cause the magnetizable members to move from the disk 8 to the disk 7. When the pin 26 turns in the counterclockwise direction, it nate will pass the dog 30 without operating the lever. When the jxush rod 9 is in the position shown in Fig. 1, t e projections 21l and 22* will engage the outermost turn of the spiral 7a. If, now, the rod 9 is moved toward the right in Fi 1, the record disks will be turned countercloc wise and the pin 26 will engage the dog 28, on the lever 18,-and rock said lever so as to force the cam 17 under the head 19 on the sliding shaft 13, and this shaft will move and carry the polar projections 21 Iand '22 out of engagement with the spiral 7 and bring the polar projections 21b and 22h into engagementwith the outermost turn of the spiral 8a on the record disk 8. As the dis continue to rotate in the counterclockwise direction, the magnetic rcord on the disk 8`will be conveyed to the diaphragm through the magnetizable members 21 and 22. The guide pin 25, which engages the grooves in bothv l spring 16 will then move said shaft and cause the polar projections 21b and 22b to leave the disk 8, and the projections 21a and 22l to engage the innermost turn of the spiral on the disk 7. The continued rotation of the record disks will cause the projections 21l and 22* to traverse the spiral 7* to its outer turn and the magnetic variations in the successive portions of the spiral will he transmittedtthrough the members 21 and 22 to the diaphragm 4, causing the words corresponding to these Avaria-tions to beproduced by theadiaphragm.

Thus, by moving the rod 9 in one direction, the record on one disk will be reproduced,

andby moving the Arod inthe opposite direc-V tion, the record on the other disk will be rcproduced.- Each spiral is long enough to contain a record corresponding to several words. It will be understood that the magnetizable record on one disk will commence at the outermost turn of the spiral and end at the innermost turn, while the record on the opposing 'disk will commence at the innermost turn and end at the outermost turn of the spiral.

What I claim is:

1. In a toy' talking device, a steel spiral having a magnetic record thereon, a diaphragm, two magnetizable members mechanicallyl engaging the spiral and extending from the record to points close to the diaphragm, and means for rotating the spiral.

2. In a toy talking device, two steel spirals having magnetic records thereon, a diaphragm, means for rotating said spirals alterl in opposite directions, magnetizable mem rs extending from the diaphragm and alrlliapted to engage the spirals, and means for s one splral into engagement with the other lng said members from engagement with when the direction of rotation of the spirals is reversed.

3. In a toy talking device, two steel spirals having magnetic records thereon, Ythe record on one spiral reading from its pleripheral turn inwardly and the record on t e other spiral reading from its innermost turn outwardly, a diaphragm, means for rotating said spirals in alternately opposite directions, ma etizable members extending from the dia ragm and adapted to engage the spirals, an means for shifting said members from engagement with one spiral into engagement with the other when the direction of rotation of the spirals is reversed. V

4. In a toy talking device, a shaft, two disks mounted on said shaft and each having a spiral with a magnetic record, means for rotating said shaft, a diaphragm, magnetizable arms pivotally mounted adjacent the diaphragm to swing between the spirals and adapted to engage the spirals, means normally holding the arms in engagement with one spiral, and means for automatically shifting the arms into engagement with the other spiral when the direction of rotation of the spirals is reversed.

5. In a toy talking device, a shaft, two disks mounted on said shaft and each having a spiral with a magnetic record, means for rotating said shaft, a diaphragm, magnetizable arms pivotally mounted adjacent the diaphragm to swing between the spirals and having two pairs of polar projections, means normally 'holding the arms with one pair of projections engaging one of the spirals, and. means for automatically moving the arms to cause the other pair of projections to engage the other spiral, when the direction of rotation of the spirals is reversed.

6. In a toy talking device, a shaft, two disks mouted on said shaft and each having a spiral with a magnetic record, means for rotat-l ing said shaft, a diaphragm, magnetizable arms pivotally mounted adjacent the diaphragm to swing between the spirals and ada ted to engage the spirals alternately, a gui e-pin of non-magnetlc material movable with said arms and having its ends fitting between corresponding eonvolutions of both spirals, and means for shifting the magnetizable arm's, from engagement with one spiral intofengagement wlth the other spiral when the direction of rotation of thespirals is reversed.

In testimony whereof I hereunto aix my signature.

WILLIAM T.- HOOFNAGLE. 

